WCDO Radio News

A Citizen Preparedness Training Event will be held on Monday, April 28th in Margaretville at the Town Hall, hosted by Delaware County Public Health, with representatives from the New York National Guard & The State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Isabella Ziolkowski of Delaware County Public Health explains:

(Isabella Ziolkowski 4-11-24)

This event is free and open to the public, they can register by calling 607-832-5200, Ziolkowski said that they are planning to do additional training events in Walton & Sidney as soon as possible.

New York State residents are reminded to learn about the different types of driver’s licenses, available through the Department of Motor Vehicles. A REAL ID will be required for domestic air travel and access to certain federal buildings starting May 7th, an Enhanced Driver's License serves as a REAL ID compliant document that allows for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean without the need for a passport. A Standard License is still available but can’t be used for domestic air travel or entry into certain federal buildings after May 7th. For more information, visit your local DMV office or visit DMV.NY.gov.

The Chenango County Historical Society will host an unveiling of the recently refurbished “special edition” marker at Rogers Environmental Education Center at 10:45 am. on April 25. the “Game Farm” plaque is situated roadside along Route 80 in the town of Sherburne. The unveiling is being held on National Historic Marker Day to honor the New York State Department of Transportation sign crew who refurbished the sign, for more information, go to ChenangoHistorical.org.

The Foothills Performing Arts Center has several notable shows coming up, 2 of them coming up in the next week & another in April, Spokesman Geoff Doyle explains:

(Geoff Doyle 2-26-25)

Tickets and more information about these & other shows can be found at foothillspac.org.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 2-26-25

Delaware County Public Health Services was notified of a positive flock of highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as H5N1. The flock consists of 150 chickens, geese and ducks. Federal & State agencies are on site at the farm advising on depopulating, cleaning, and disinfection activities. Contact with the flock was limited to the owner. Heather Warner of the Delaware County Public Health told WCDO News what people should look for in their own flock or among wild birds near their homes:

(Heather Warner 2-25-26)

To date, there have been no human cases of avian influenza and no detections in cattle or domestic pets; it is advisable to keep children & pets away from dead birds or animals. National surveillance of milk is currently in place in multiple states including New York.

The State Department of Health recently launched a campaign, Clear the Air!, to highlight the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure for children with asthma. Children exposed to secondhand smoke can have more frequent and severe asthma attacks; are more likely to get ear infections, bronchitis and pneumonia. There are more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, including hundreds of toxic chemicals. About 70 of the chemicals in secondhand smoke can cause cancer. More information about secondhand smoke can be found at cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand-smoke

Mediation began Monday regarding the illegal walkout of Corrections Officers at a number of state facilities last week. Correction Officers who walked out are in violation of the Taylor Law & a temporary restraining order to return to work. Governor Hochul said that they state has offered an amnesty period where they could go back to work, no questions asked and they suspended portions of the HALT law, & they had to deploy 6,500 members of the National Guard to cover the inside of correction facilities and the mediation is continuing.

P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 11-27-24

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from Midnight through 7:00 PM on Thanksgiving in Delaware, Otsego & Sullivan Counties, Meteorologist Rich Townsend told WCDO news about this storm:

(Rich Townsend 11-27-24)

the higher accumulations are expected to be in the higher elevation, mainly to the Eastern part of the WCDO Listening area, we'll have our Tri-County Forecast at the end of this news cast.

The Town of Guilford announced that a repair to the water tank will begin on September 6th, for customer of the Mt. Upton Water District. The repairs are expected to take 1 week to complete, back up tanks are in place & no disruption of service is anticipated, but water conservation measures are encouraged., more information is available at 607-895-9966.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the deployment of the New York Army and Air National Guards To support fire suppression efforts at the 150-acre wildfire currently burning in Minnewaska State Park Preserve in Ulster County. 2 Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters, capable of dropping 600 gallons of water at a time, began aerial operations, the Air National Guard have been deployed, the State DEC Forest Rangers are serving as Incident Commanders, with more than 200 wild-land firefighters and volunteers, local firefighters, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, State Police Aviation, and State Fire also fighting the fire.

Guilford Open Air Market hosted by 6zero7 Events and Guilford Center Storage to take place this Saturday, August 28th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, featuring a barbecue, free balloons for the kids, bike raffles, face paintings, Smoothies, yard sales items and local vendors. The event is free to the public; vendors interested in participating should register at localvendorconnection.com.

Delaware County Public Health announced that the Farmer’s Market COVID-19 Clinic this week in Delhi has been cancelled. Delaware County Public Health urges those who have not been vaccinated for COVID 19, to do so as quickly as possible through the "Am I Eligible" App, at area Pharmacies, More information is available at Delaware County Public Health at 832-5200.

A.M. NEWS Monday 8-23-21

Governor Cuomo declared a State of Emergency on for more than half the counties in the state, including all of the local counties, as Hurricane Henri was aiming for Long Island Sunday. The Governor's declaration of a state of emergency ensures resources which are assigned for State use only are provided to local governments to help protect citizens and infrastructure. Governor Cuomo activated 500 National Guard troops for deployment to help localities with storm response efforts. A Flash Flood watch remains in effect through 8:00 PM tonight.

Greater Chenango Cares, the joint-service training mission
of the Air National Guard and other members of the armed services, will provide
medical, dental, vision and veterinary care to residents of the Southern Tier
again this year.  The no-cost clinics will
take place at Norwich High School from July 11th to the 20th, more information
can be found at facebook.com/GreaterChenangoCares.

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce announced 2 Job
fairs to be held next week.  The 2019 Job
& Resource Fairs in Grand Gorge will be held on April 10th and at the DCMO
BOCES campus in Masonville on April 11; Chamber President Ray Pucci comments:

(Ray Pucci 4-5-19)

More information is available by calling the Chamber at
746-2281 or online at delawarecounty.org

The 2nd annual RoboRAVE New York
open-platform robotics competition happens in Oxford tomorrow.  Over 72 regional and international teams have
registered for the event, including participants from France, Egypt, and
Canada.  The competition is at Oxford
Academy High School from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM, and is free to spectators and open
to the public.

The Living Healthier Expo will be held beginning at 11:00
this morning at the Foothills Performing Arts Center at 24 Market Street in
*Oneonta.  Topics of discussion include
Rabies, Lyme Disease Prevention, Chronic disease Management, mental health
awareness & substance abuse.
Additional information on the health expo is available online at
www.lheotsego.com.

Governor Cuomo announced that the New York Air National Guard is preparing to deploy 75 Airmen from the 106th Rescue Wing to assist in the response to Hurricane Michael, which is hitting the Florida panhandle today. The Airmen from the 106th Rescue Wing will deploy to Gulfport, Mississippi with one HC-130 search and rescue aircraft, one HH-60 Pave Hawk Rescue helicopter and two inflatable rescue boats. In addition, the New York Army National Guard is preparing to deploy 2 heavy lift helicopters to Tallahassee, Florida with 20 Soldiers. The HC-130 can conduct search operations from the air and can refuel helicopters in flight, which extends the range of the helicopters.

The Regional Economic Development Council awards will include $690,000 for the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, located on the site of the original 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair held 50 years ago. Bethel Woods will use the state funding for the 50th anniversary event for next year, which is planned as a 3-day festival like the original event.

Governor Cuomo today announced that the New York National Guard is preparing to send 10 soldiers and two UH-60 Blackhawk Medivac Helicopters with 30 days of medical supplies to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina to assist with response and recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Florence. 50 additional Airmen have also been deployed from the 106th Rescue Wing of the New York Air National Guard. The state's incident management team is also ready to assist with response and recovery efforts including command and control, planning, logistics and administration activities, operational coordination, obtaining situational information and reporting, incident action planning, GIS mapping, and logistical support for ongoing response operations. 100 additional National Guard Members are on standby.

U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced $1.8 Million Dollars for the Sidney Municipal Airport, through the Federal Aviation Administration. the Airport will use the funding to construct a new taxiway. The funding is awarded through the Airport Improvement Program and is administered by the FAA, for grants to public agencies for the planning and development of public-use airports.

Governor Cuomo announced that 124 Airmen from the 106th Rescue Wing of the New York Air National Guard will deploy this afternoon to the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist in the response to Hurricane Irma. Additionally, the Governor is deploying Task Force 2 to Florida, that team specializes in structural collapse rescue, excavation emergencies, technical rope rescues, confined space rescue, and other specialized rescues.

Hartwick College will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of its men’s soccer team’s NCAA Division 1 National Championship this weekend. In December 1977, Hartwick College stunned the collegiate soccer world by defeating the defending champion and heavily favored San Francisco 2-1 in Berkeley, California, The festivities will begin Saturday at 6:00 PM at the Lambros Arena, at Hartwick College. Tickets are available to the general public for $40 at hartwickalumni.org or at 431-4064.

Governor Cuomo today announced the deployment of additional New York Air National Guard resources to assist in the Hurricane Harvey response in Texas. A search and rescue aircraft carrying 15 more Airmen from the 106th Rescue Wing is arriving at Fort Hood in Texas this afternoon, & a Regional Medical Plans Officer will depart for Texas on Thursday to assist with the evacuation and transportation of patients from area hospitals.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 31 year old Latorrie Boykin of Bronx New York, on charges of failure to keep right, moving from lane unsafely, and driving while ability impaired by alcohol following a traffic stop on County Highway 26 in the Town of Colchester. Deputies allege the defendant was driving a motor vehicle to Bronx New York from the Village of Delhi while in an impaired condition. Boykin was later released on tickets returnable to Colchester Town Court at a later date.

Travel bans were lifted in Broome & Chenango Counties this afternoon, with Broome County getting assistance from the National Guard. Governor Cuomo held a press conference at the DOT Facilities on Colesville Road this afternoon & said that more help was on the way:

(Cuomo 3-15-17)

Otsego & Delaware Counties will lift their travel bans at 6:00 PM, Oneonta Mayor Gary Herzig announced that due to the large amount of snow on city streets, all street parking is prohibited until further notice, regulations at the city parking lots & municipal garage will be suspended. Motorists are advised to drive with extreme caution if they must drive.

17 year old Kyle Jaramillo of Oneonta was arrested by City police after they allegedly found drugs and stolen goods in his apartment. Jaramillo was charged with 2nd degree burglary. Grand larceny, criminal mischief, criminal possession of a controlled substance & endangering the welfare of a Minor, Police seized heroin, televisions, stereo speakers, an air rifle and sneakers that were reported stolen recently for an Oneonta residence. The investigation is continuing, anyone with information is asked to contact Oneonta Police Detectives at 432-1111 option 4. All tips will remain confidential.

There are now 7 confirmed positive cases of pertussis in the Walton area, according to Delaware County Public Health. County officials are continuing to work with the Walton Central School, physicians, and the community to identify and notify students and residents that have possibly been exposed. Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air by cough. Pertussis begins with cold symptoms and cough, which becomes much worse over 1-2 weeks, it is generally treated with antibiotics. More information is available at 832-5200.

Governor Cuomo announced today that state emergency responders & municipalities are gearing up for the possibility Hurricane Joaquin striking the state in the next few days:

(Cuomo 10-1-15)

Cuomo said that DEC has 250 staff from the Environmental Conservation Police, Forest Rangers and engineers ready in preparation for the storm. DEC will ready swift water rescue assets, assist municipalities to flooding preparation and work with 200 New York National Guard soldiers to perform the debris removal that began earlier today.

The Sidney Moose Lodge will be closed starting today through October 10th. Officials told WCDO that necessary repairs are being made to the facility, and it will reopen at the conclusion of those repairs.

Cal Harris, the Tioga County businessman who has been convicted of murdering his wife twice, spoke for the first time in a special interview with CBS. Facing his third trial in the fall, Harris gave his first TV interview to the 48 HOURS program.   The interview will air Monday at 10 p.m. Michele Harris went missing the night of Sept. 11th, 2001. Although amidst a bitter divorce, Michele and Cal were living in the same Tioga County home when she vanished after leaving a boyfriend’s house. Harris has been convicted twice of murdering Michele, but both cases have been thrown out on appeal.

National Guard members may soon have the right for memorial headstones, thanks to a push from Rep. Richard Hanna. The House of Representatives passed the Guard Units and Reservists Deserve Remembrance Act. The act allows National Guard and Reserve members, who have served more than six years, to receive a memorial headstone or marker when they pass away. The GUARD Remembrance Act is part of the National Defense Authorization Act. It will head to the Senate for a vote.